Refurbished NAD CD Player - Opinions and Experiences?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by patient_ot, Apr 20, 2016.

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  1. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Anyone here buy one of these?

    nadc516r NAD C 516Bee Refurbished - CD & SACD Players »

    I've read some positive comments about the dealer but would like to know about the model and whether buying a refurb is a good idea or not. Also, does the CD player insert gaps in between tracks that aren't there by default? I know some newer CD players do this. Also, is the build quality and reliability better than the Onkyo C-7030 that everyone around here seems to love so much (but sometimes has QC issues IIRC)?
     
  2. sixthstreet

    sixthstreet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin, Texas
    I bought that exact same CD player from Spearit. It came quickly and it was in flawless cosmetic condition. It hasn't crapped out on me, and my old NAD C 315BEE has been a workhorse, so that's all I can say about perceived reliability of NAD in general. As far as the NAD's audio performance is concerned, I didn't think that a Modi 2 Uber improved the sound at all, though a NAD D1050 does (a bit). I can't answer the question about gapless play, since I've only played studio vs. live stuff and haven't noticed obvious gappy dropouts.

    I thought the $250 or so I paid was money well spent. I'll likely buy again from Spearit.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  3. wwaldmanfan

    wwaldmanfan Born In The 50's

    Location:
    NJ
    I can't speak to any of your questions about the unit, but I have purchased two refurbished items from Spearit Sound. They sell a lot of NAD refurbs. Most of them are audio show demos or open-box units that have been carefully gone over at the factory before being repackaged. This could actually be advantageous, vs. a production unit that simply rolls off the assembly line, is boxed up, and sold. The only drawback to their refurbs have a shorter factory warranty, i.e., 2 years instead of 3 on a new unit, or 1 year instead of two on the lower-end lines.
    I bought a M51 DAC and a C 275BEE stereo power amp and saved $400-$500 on each piece. They double-boxed them and overnight shipped to me for no extra charge. Again, I don't know about the CD player, but Spearit Sound is a solid dealer, IMO.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  4. Lester Best

    Lester Best Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Bklyn NY
    My rule is NEVER buy a refurb with moving parts from any mfg.
     
    bluesky likes this.
  5. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    I agree :D

    Although really at this point it seems the best "CD" playback is probably from a hard drive to an external DAC. Once you get past the physical discs it's really hard to go back.

    Hmm, are there transports that will feed an external DAC in the asynchronous isochronous mode? And if so...why not just use a hard drive?

    If a CD transport spins in the forest with no one to hear it, it is really spinning? If so is the spin up, or down? Could it be entangled?
    :cool:
     
    Robert C likes this.
  6. jkellner

    jkellner Forum Resident

    I bought a refurbished NAD C565BEE from Spearit Sound in March of 2014. The first two units they shipped me had displays that did not work and I returned them. The third player I received worked fine for two years and two months, then yesterday the display quit working.
    I have audio equipment that is still going after 38 years and cd players lasting up to 20 years with no issues. So two years of use and it quits out of warranty.

    Spearit was great to work with, they wanted me to be a satisfied customer, and I would do business with them again. But another NAD? Not for me.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  7. Lester Best

    Lester Best Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Bklyn NY
    There is also no way that I'd buy any recapped or modded gear without examining the innards. My experience, years ago working for an authorized repair station for Dynaco/Dynakit, is most peoples soldering is poor to horrendous.
     
    timind likes this.
  8. harby

    harby Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR, USA
    That doesn't appear to be what this company does. They likely have a merchandising agreement with NAD to sell refurb product; they also have a "CES Demo" speaker system. They have almost every NAD product they list also available as refurbished.

    I would be more concerned about reliability of a product that has many factory refurb repairs to sell, unless the company is known for a "try in your home for 30 days" type policy to generate them. I've seen Fry's flyer ads that had refurb blu-ray players and such - I don't think I could trust a product that has so many refurbs they can stock an entire electronics chain with them.
     
  9. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Yikes, that sounds horrible. I wonder why the displays kept failing? Usually the first thing to go on a CD player is the laser unit inside. Very strange. I'm also using a very old CD player currently (1987), though I am not the original owner.
     
  10. BIGGER Dave

    BIGGER Dave Forum Resident

    Spearit Sound - refurbished, $229 with a 1 year warranty

    Crutchfield - new, $299 with a 2 year warranty

    For the additional $70, Crutchfield offers you a new unit with double the warranty. I would spend the extra $70 and go with Crutchfield.
     
    timind and Wounded Land like this.
  11. Lester Best

    Lester Best Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Bklyn NY
    Factory refurbs, provided the refurb is not only a new carton & provided there are no moving
    parts, should be a safer bet.
     
    2channelforever likes this.
  12. steveharris

    steveharris Senior Member

    Location:
    Mass
    For what it`s worth,I also purchased a refurbished NAD 546 from Spearit Sound and had it perform perfectly.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  13. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    I have had a NAD refurbished CD player for about 10 years with no issue. Bought from Spearit. Ditto with Parasound Halo units. And Denon universalplayer ( from Accessories4less).My mantra-make sure you are getting significant mark down and adequate warr. Don't be afraid to negotiate further.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  14. ukrules

    ukrules Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kentucky
    I received one of the 516's recently. The first one was a "dud" (CD would still spin when ejecting, sending it across the room...it was actually kinda amusing). Anyway, the dudes at Spearit got me another right away. It works fine. It is an attractive, compact design with the latest NAD minimalist look. At first, I thought it was a little slow to "swallow and digest" a disc for playback. But after some time, it seems typical now...no issues. I will say that is is very quiet...practically silent and I sit 3 feet from it in use. It has a typical "consumer" feel to the external build quality (plastic front and somewhat thin sheet metal. However, the fit-n-finish is fine. Being NAD, the money is inside the box. I stack a NAD 316 amp on top and there is no concern about the CD player caving in or anything. I have to remind myself this thing was $229 shipped to me.
     
  15. PH416156

    PH416156 Alea Iacta Est

    Location:
    Europe
    Bummer.
    One of my players is a 25 y.o. made in Belgium Marantz unit and it is in top conditions, I only had to replace the tray gear wheel a few years ago. Unfortunately, quality is not what it used to be; I get that people have to save some money and thus a refurbished model might be the only option, but in these cases (at least in my experience) my advice is that it would be better buying one of those 90s Pioneer, Sony , Technics, JVC, TEAC, Marantz or Philips players, possibly with a CDM transport. Add a brand new DAC and you now have a reliable CD player with great sound. I have yet to see one of those 90s models fail; several friends, relatives and acquaintances of mine have one of the aforementioned players and they all work, not a single problem that I can remember.
     
  16. ukrules

    ukrules Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kentucky
    I dunno...had one of those Pioneer players back in the day...crapped out (under warranty thank goodness).
     
  17. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Some of my first players are still running perfect, a 1989 Sansui CDX-711 and a 1991 Pioneer Elite PD-91. Although both of these are built like tanks, you don't see this kind of build quality anymore except in the high end.

    As far as factory refurbs, I've always had good luck with them, but as was said, I'd be wary of specific brands/models that seem to have vast quantities of refurbs constantly for sale, that is usually not a good sign.
     
  18. sixthstreet

    sixthstreet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin, Texas
    Update: the CD player died. Update 2: I bought a new NAD C546BEE from a local B&M. I don't learn too good.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
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